The above answers every question you asked to start with and is all taken from my example code.

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And if I use four AS1130 to build a 11x48 Matrix, how do I have to connect the Sync Pins?1. I'll do it like in the datasheet, on p.32 Figure 27., that there is only one Sync-Pin configured as Sync_Out and the other three AS1130 are Sync_In and then the Sync_Out is connected to the three Sync_In? But that means that the clock speed will decrease?!Therefore I have a 2. solution: To configure every Sync Pin of the four devices as Sync_Out that each of them works (with their own oscillator) independent from the others ?

You need to understand what the sync does.How do you conclude that the clock speed will decrease? :~GOLDEN RULE: If it says it in the datasheet...it is 99.9999999% the way it's GOT to be done.

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In the Datasheet is written: "After a first write of data to the frames, the configuration is locked in the AS1130 config register and can be changed only after a reset of the device. A change of the RAM configuration requires to re-write the frame datasets."

That is refering to the RAM configuration. You have to choose at setup time which configuration you want (1-6) For example you can have 36 frames and 1 PWM set or 18 frames and 4 PWM sets etc.See Table 8 in the datasheet.

A soft reset can be performed using the Shutdown register...Table 23 but I have a reset button because I am developing software and want to ensure that all the data etc is cleared on restart.

I know this isn't strictly Arduino, but here's a video of where I'm up to and what's possible with this chip.

I'm now uploading the page data to the AS1130 through the MCU (could easily be an AVR ) from the PC.The PC app takes data produced in a spreadsheet, converts it to binary format and uploads it to the external eeprom on the PIC board.It then gets uploaded to the AS1130 as 36 frame pages. At the moment I'm using 10 x 36 frame pages (which will fit easily onto an AtMega328).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH9rZseoP2E

If anyone wants the source code for the PIC or the PC app. just ask.

I WILL be porting the code for the Arduino...but time is at a premium unfortunately

It's best to think of the AS1130 as a completely separate entity which can receive data and instructions at 1Mhz over the I2C bus.

Once you have set up the AS1130 by sending instructions and the frame data and telling it to start, it will display the frames one by one at whatever rate you told it to.It will do this forever without any more communication with whatever is sending instructions to it.

The fastest time between frames is 32.5mS which is about 31 frames per second - the slowest is 487.5mS which is about 2 per second. (see Table 17 frame_delay)

While the AS1130 is displaying the frames you can upload another set of frames and it will display them. (It displays whatever is in it's eeprom 1 frame at a time)

Now think of the microcontroller as a seperate entity.

It can send instructions over I2C and stream data as fast as the receiver connected to it can process it. It has eeprom memory that can hold binary arrays (in this case our frame data) until it is full.It can communicate and exchange data with an external eeprom and send that data out over I2C.

Now put them together...

MCU sends instructions and frame data to AS1130 and tells it to start.AS1130 displays the frames on it's own and ignores the MCU.MCU gets another 36 frames of data either from its own eeprom, an external eeprom, the serial bus or anywhere else that can be connected to it.All this time the AS1130 is happily displaying the frames...MCU sends new frame data to AS1130.

The cycle continues until the power goes down.

Don't forget you can also send instructions to the AS1130 while its running as can be seen in the video.

The speed that the frames are displayed is constrained to one of 15 different speeds set in the Frame Time/Scroll register and has nothing to do with the clock speed the I2C bus speed or the MCU speed.

I was speaking of the Wire library that Arduino uses. I'm not sure if the ATmega128 that you are hoping to use will work with it, my advice would just to try it out and see what happens. I see no reason why it wouldn't work but also I wouldn't stand by that statement. Just do some experimentation to see if it works. If it does, could you kindly let us know?